Prospective mushroom hunters may register now for the 17th annual King Boletus Mushroom Festival, a fundraiser for Buena Vista Heritage, Aug. 17-18 in Buena Vista.
The event features a 2-day mushroom seminar with classroom lectures and mountain forays. The mushroom festival educates participants in the art of hunting for and identifying mushrooms in the Upper Arkansas River Valley.
Registration costs $80 ($70 for Buena Vista Heritage members) and includes lunch on Saturday, a wine-and-cheese reception Saturday evening and a light lunch on Sunday.
The seminar starts at 9 a.m. Aug. 17 in the American Legion Hall, 338 N. Railroad St., with check-in beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Mushroom expert Ellen Jacobson and other members of the Colorado Mycological Society will present slides, display tables, handouts and information on locating and identifying mushrooms.
In the afternoon, attendees will carpool to the local mountains to go on mushroom forays. After the forays, participants will gather to compare and identify the mushrooms they have collected. A reception at the historic Turner Farm, 829 W. Main St., will follow.
The festival will continue at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 18 with more mushroom hunting in the mountains. Participants will return to the American Legion Hall for more identification, question-and-answer sessions and a light lunch of mushroom-based snacks and pizza.
For more information or to register, call 395-8458 or visit buenavistaheritage.org/Mushroom-Fest-2013.
